


Soulmates

by nhasablog



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 12:41:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15640965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nhasablog/pseuds/nhasablog
Summary: Jim finds his soulmate. He’s somehow both surprised and not at all.





	Soulmates

Jim’s mark had always embarrassed him, and therefore he was glad that only his soulmate could see the writing carved into his skin just beneath his heart. The few conversations he’d had with people about this had proved to him that not everyone had their marks there. They could be on arms, hands, legs, backs, sometimes even foreheads. But his was on his ribs, making every single encounter that was rapidly leading to something slightly more heated a nerve-racking experience. Was he really about to discover his soulmate after a night out at the bar and a potential one night stand?

It didn’t happen like that, of course. It was much much worse.

But maybe he was just being dramatic.

Honestly, at the time he wasn’t even thinking of the mark. Instead, what was going through his messy mind was how stupid of an injury this was. Really, who got stabbed in the side by a species as small as the ones they’d found on a planet that was supposed to be deserted? Let alone the captain of the Enterprise? Stupid.

But that was his reality, and he found himself in sickbay in so much pain he suspected the weapon had been poisonous, and by the urgency of his care, Bones was thinking the same thing. He was working so quickly he didn’t even have time to kick Spock out of the room as he cut Jim’s shirt off of his bloodied torso.

They had been doing a good job of ignoring it, but it was only once Jim was stable and much more alert several days later that it was brought up.

“So,” Bones started, and his tone made Jim perk up. He was about to share news Jim wasn’t aware of. Anything could’ve happened on the planet after he’d been attacked. Dear god, someone could’ve  _died_ and Jim wouldn’t know it.

“It’s nothing bad,” Bones was quick to say when he inevitably saw the panic flicker across his face.

“Everyone’s okay?”

“They are, Jim, don’t worry.”

He sank down against the mattress, suddenly feeling tired. “Good.”

“I just want to talk about you.”

“Am I dying?”

“No, I- will you let me finish?”

Spock, who was on Jim’s other side, tilted his head. If he’d been anyone else he probably would’ve snorted.

“Sorry,” Jim said sheepishly. This near death experience was making him jumpy, which quite honestly wasn’t a good thing to be around Leonard McCoy, dedicated doctor.

But Bones seemed distracted. Almost nervous, with the way he wouldn’t look Jim in the eyes. Interesting.

Jim crossed his arms. “What is it?”

“I don’t really know how to say this.”

“Just say it.”

“We saw it.”

“Pardon?”

“Your mark. We saw it when we were trying to save you.”

“You… what?”

“Spock and I. Both of us.”

For a moment, Jim wasn’t even thinking of what it meant. Only of what they’d seen. “Oh shit.”

“We- wait, what are you doing?”

Jim couldn’t help it. He grabbed the covers and sunk even deeper down the bed, hiding from view. He’d never been able to handle this conversation, but so far it had only been speculations. Now Bones and Spock had all the facts.

Hands grabbed the covers, pulling them away and off of him entirely before he could even react. To his immense surprise Spock was the one to throw them to the floor.

“We’re not judging you,” Bones was saying. “Jesus Christ, Jim, we don’t wanna talk about how you like being  _tickled_.”

“Then what- oh.”

Oh right. Only his soulmates could read it.

“Wait, you  _both_ could see it?”

Bones nodded. “That’s what we wanna talk about.”

“I- okay.”

“We did some research.”

“Of course you did.”

“And it turns out that you can have more than one soulmate. It’s not that rare, actually. Sometimes both soulmates are platonic. Sometimes romantic. Sometimes you get one of each.”

Jim scratched the back of his neck. “Does this mean I’m your soulmate, too? Like, can I see your mark?” He’d heard of cases where soulmates didn’t match. It wasn’t common, but they were the most famous tragedies in the galaxies. He’d prefer not to get added to them.

Bones responded by lifting his shirt, revealing pale letters just below his heart with a message of their own. Jim read them carefully, promising to keep Bones’ greatest secret inside of him forever.

Spock was slower, but Jim could tell it was calculated. He grabbed the hem of his own shirt, slowly lifting it as if hesitating. There, on the same spot as theirs, were green tinted letters revealing his heart. Jim’s secret seemed silly compared to theirs, but maybe it wasn’t about fearing your desire. It was about being ashamed of it, and then being forced to share that shame with the people you were supposed to trust with your whole soul. It was kind of beautiful.

“You can see each other’s?” Jim asked, his voice oddly loud in the suddenly tense room.

“No.”

“Oh.”

So they weren’t each other’s soulmates. Only Jim’s. Both of them Jim’s.

“Well, this is gonna be interesting.”

He had a theory, of course. He knew he’d never be able to look at Bones romantically. Had never ever dreamed of kissing him. Spock on the other hand.

He let out a laugh, mostly to himself. Yeah, he wasn’t past the embarrassment just yet.

“What’s so funny?” Bones seemed amused as he asked it, as if relieved Jim could still laugh after being forced into this situation.

“Nothing, I just- this is kind of bizarre, don’t you think?”

“Oh, definitely.”

“Did any of you ever suspect?”

Bones shook his head, but Spock remained still. Revealing more than he would if he’d spoken. Jim felt his heart skip a beat.

“I sometimes wondered,” he said when Spock didn’t say anything. “But I wondered about lots of people.”

“Didn’t we all.”

“I did not,” Spock suddenly said. “I always assumed it would get revealed whenever it was the appropriate time.”

“Oh, stop lying,” Bones said, rolling his eyes. “Now, you wanna help tickle our soulmate for a sec without hurting him or not?”

“Wait, what-”

Maybe this was how things would be now. Bones and Spock teaming up to get him, giving their soulmate what he wanted. Maybe he’d always thought this too good to ever happen, but as Bones went for his neck and Spock grabbed his thighs to keep him from doubling over and hurting himself more, he wondered if he’d been scared half his life in vain.

“Oh shit, wait, nohoho!”

“Shut up and accept our love, kiddo.”

They still had things to figure out, and Jim had to get used to the thought that he didn’t have to look anymore, but for now he was content in being tickled, albeit briefly due to his injuries, by his two soulmates.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my [tumblr](http://nhasablog.tumblr.com).


End file.
